In This Beautiful Sanctuary
by marilyngirl
Summary: Miko has Met Elijah Mikaelson before a handful of times when she was a child. Now in the elegant but surprisingly dangerous 1950's a vampire turned Miko finds herself held captive by a vampire woman and her powerful family. Her greatest surprise is to See Elijah again. However there is no denying a strange attraction she still has for him that she fights while trying to escape.
1. Chapter 1

**New story New OC. This takes place somewhere in the middle of the second season of the Originals and in the 1900s. This will be an Elijah/OC fan fic and the first couple chapters will be their bac**

 **Hope you enjoy it**

 **Japan 1902**

Miko stared at the door to her bedroom with more than a little impatience. At ten years old she didn't know why she was still sent to her room when her father had his business meetings. She sat still on her bed with her legs crossed. She had been sitting like this for two hours and she was getting rather hungry as it was dinner time. Her father had warned her several times to never come out of her room during a business meeting but her father also had a tendency to forget that she was in her room and Lisa, her nanny, had been sent home for the evening. She swung her legs back and forth waiting, her patent leather shoes gleamed in the electric lighting.

She waited another thirty minutes and then got up from her bed and walked to the door. She put her head to it first to see if she could hear anything but it was pointless so she turned the knob slowly and tried to be as quiet as she could. She walked to a mirror in the hall and smoothed her already perfectly crisp dress and made sure her hair was in order.

There was no way for her to get to their kitchen without first passing through the grand living room where her father would be with whoever he was talking business with. He would be angry that she was walking through the living room, he would be even angrier if she didn't look nice. She smoothed her topknot bun that was as tight as any ballerina she had seen. Her black/brown course hair always kept clean and neat. Her Father was full Japanese and her mother was mostly Japanese with a little Chinese in her line. Her face was a little rounder than the average Japanese girl. She was always made fun of at school for that. Her Dark eyes stared back at her as she inspected her clean face and unblemished clothes. She nodded at herself and took a deep breath.

The walk through the living room was always a gamble. Her father would sometimes say something to reprimand in front of company or sometimes he would wait until they were gone. Her father had never hit her but sometimes the stare and the disappointment were enough to make her wish he would have. Though he was never a violent man he just had very high standards which, Miko as the only child, was always very aware of. She peeked her head in the living room to see her father and a very handsome man who looked more American than anything drinking something by the fireplace and talking. She reassured herself that she was willing to accept the consequences of getting food and stepped out into the tiled area where she was no longer hidden by a wall.

They didn't notice her at first as she moved across the floor swiftly and silently. But it was not to be as easy as that. She was almost to the other side of the room. She could see the entryway that went into the kitchen and the dark stained cabinets that held the food that she was in need of when her father's sharp tone called to her in Japanese. She stood straight and froze in place.

"Miko Hashira." He said calmly and that frightened her even more than his angry voice. She turned slowly and bowed to both of them.

"Father." She responded

"What are you doing out of your room?" He asked sternly.

"I am going to the kitchen." She said to him. Not wanting to state that she was hungry in front of the stranger.

"What if you have offended my special guest?" He asked and she turned to the man standing next to her father.

"Sir, I am very sorry to have offended you." She bowed deeply.

"Oh Katashi she hasn't offended me. It's nice to meet your family." She sat down in a chair next to the fireplace and motioned for her to come forward. She looked at her father who nodded to her. She walked up about a foot from him and then stopped.

"Sir." She said and bowed again respectfully knowing her father was watching her every move.

"I am Elijah Mikealson." He said nodding his head. He didn't however offer his hand. He didn't sound American. He sounded a little English. Americans and English usually offered their hand to shake as a greeting. Her English language specialist had taught her this. They were more physically open than the Japanese or Chinese culture was. However this man nodded at her in a friendly way.

"Miko." She said returning his nod. She stared at him and he stared right back at her. His brown eyes looked as if they were searching for something. Though she was unsure of what he could be looking for in her. His hair was done perfectly and he was dressed sharply in an American style. However she couldn't quite pinpoint his accent.

"Where are you from?" She asked quite forwardly and her father's eyes went wide. The man named Elijah laughed.

"Somewhere very far away." He said smiling at her in a kind sort of way.

"Your clothes are American." She said.

"Miko!" Her father said to her But Elijah smiled again and shook his head at her father.

"Oh she's fine. She's trying to get to the bottom of something." He said "I admire her spirit. Yes my clothes are American I live in America."

"But you are not from America." She stated "originally."

"No not originally." He said and his smile crept up his face.

"How long have you lived in America?" She asked

"Forty years." He said flatly. She nodded at him. She knew he wasn't lying. She could see in his face that he wasn't a liar. However he didn't appear to be older than his late twenties.

"Hm." She said nodding.

"I am very old." He said smiling at her.

"Yes I can feel that is true." She said staring into his eyes again. "The soul in your eyes have seen too many things." She looked him over once more. "I like your pocket square." She said finally and he chuckled. He reached for the handkerchief in his pocket and pulled it out. It was a deep purple silk with a white patter printed onto it. He handed it to her and she took it feeling the soft material with her fingers.

"My gift to you Miko. Your Father has raised a fine daughter and it was my pleasure to meet you." He smiled at her again and she thought when she grew a little she wouldn't mind being married to him.

"Thank you." She said smiling a little herself but wiped it form her face quickly. She bowed deeply again and stepped back. She looked to her father who nodded at her and she turned and walked the rest of the way to the kitchen with the silk handkerchief clenched in her hand.

 **First chapter of their first meeting. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own The Originals**

 **Japan 1912**

The party was too big, too loud and it was running entirely too long. The food was delicious of course and the alcohol flowed freely. Too many people at the party had partaken of a little too much but that was the nature of parties this size. Somehow people forgot how to be civil. It seemed that no one had the notion to go home anytime soon so that meant that Miko would have to endure for a while longer. Though she was rather uncomfortable with the amount of attention that was being placed on her.

This party was for her after all. Upon her father's insistence to celebrate her twentieth birthday. She had begged him to do nothing of the sort. She would rather play Majan with him and enjoy a quiet dinner with the Tanakas but he wouldn't listen to her. He said that this was a part of what having a large business was about. Sometimes you had to please the people. He said it as if he found it as horrendous as she did and yet as she searched for him in the crowd she found him surrounded by five other men entertaining them with some sort of story. He looked to be the life of the party, though Miko knew him to be a rather reserved man.

"Miko!" A familiar voice called from behind her and she turned slightly.

Her father had also insisted that she wear a Light pink and blue traditional Kimono that he had bought for her. It was rather feminine and she hated it with so much of herself that when she caught sight of it in a reflective surface it almost made her sick. Her hair was done up with a long dangling hair pin with pink cherry blossoms that hung in her face in an irritating way. Her cheeks and lips were stained with face paint and she smelled not like her usual soap but some sort of fragrance her mother used to wear.

"Hiro" She smiled at the young man who bowed slightly to her.

"You look…" He faltered looking for the words. "Unlike yourself." He finished finally.

This was also very true. She wore suits like a man most of the time. Tailored to her frame but she was never very feminine or fashion forward. Her closet consisted mostly of browns and blacks, hardly any color at all. Her hair was always pulled up in a tight ponytail or bun and the soap she used had a very light citrus smell that was nothing like the cloying woody smell she wore now.

"I'm surprised I am recognized." She said to him genuinely. He opened his mouth to say something else but her father called him loudly to the congregated group of men. He smiled at her after looking her over again.

"Happy birthday Miko." He said leaning over and kissing her cheek. She smiled against the invasion of her personal space and fought the blush that crept up her neck.

"Thank you very Much Hiro." She said as he went to join her father.

The Tanakas were a family with a rather large shipping business. Her father had been close to their family for a long time. Hiro's father was one of her Father's closest friends. It really was why she was currently engaged to Hiro. It made good business sense from all angles and they were really a good match. He was outgoing and friendly where she was distant and unsociable. He ran his and his father's business on charm and niceties and she ran on money and diplomatic moves. She wasn't unhappy with the prospect of the match. Hiro was nice enough and handsome she supposed; there was nothing to be upset about.

She had several other people come over and give her warm birthday wishes. With each person that came to talk to her the more exhausted she got. She did not like this kind of work at all. This talking for extended periods of time was harder than any deal she had closed for her father. It drained her more than normal and she excused herself from the woman who was telling her how lovely she was and insisting she looked just like her mother in her kimono. She walked to the door to the back garden and peered out.

Of course the door had been open to invite any person who wished to walk about the garden if they wished. As far as she could tell other than a small group sitting under a tree in the shade there was none to be seen. Which just attested to the stupidity of man. Her father's garden was the most beautiful part of the house. Mostly because it was the quietest and a place where, as a child, she could find many places to be alone and hide from various adult figures. Though now that she was grown she loved it still and mostly for the same reason's she mused.

She passed the group of people with a nod and a smiling acceptance of their blessings and flattery and continued on her way. She walked to the dock above the large pond than ran through the garden. Her wooden sandals clicked when she hit the dark polished wood of the deck. The noise made her cringe as it alerted whoever could hear to where she was. She slipped the shoes off and walked barefoot along the path/ It was inappropriate to be sure but she would rather be at the height of impropriety than have someone come out here because they heard her clip-clopping around in these shoes. She made it to the end of the dock silently and without incident.

When she had reached the end she gazed over the water and all of the trees that graced the edge of the pond. It made her smile in amazement every time she journeyed out here. She came now, less often than she used to as a child and her heart missed the friends she had made in the trees. The croaking of the frogs had entertained her frequently. The whistle of the water bugs and the small Egrets that would glide gracefully on the water as she imagined herself a bird. None of her old friends ever bothered her with personal questions or awkward compliments that left her wondering what to say. These friends let her be, and oh how she missed that.

She scooted over to a support beam holding the dock together and leaned against it. She listened to all the familiar sounds that she remembered well. She could feel the wood picking up the silk of her kimono but at that moment she couldn't be bothered to care. She enjoyed the sound of her breathing as she began to decompress from the stress of the people. Then suddenly her silence was broken and her quiet paradise was shattered by the sound of a human voice.

"Miss Hashira." The smooth voice said and she opened her eyes and huffed rather angrily. Though it was not the person's fault that he had ruined something he had no intention of ruining. She composed herself and forcefully plastered the friendly smile on her face.

However the smile faltered and dropped completely replaced with one of slight panic and shock. She could do nothing to stop that. Her voice that she was about to use to greet the stranger was caught in her throat and for the life of her she could think of no intelligible words to say. Before her was a man she had met once when she was ten and a handful of times after. These meetings were brief and cordial. However recalling the memory of them caused her blood to get warmer and brought smiles to her face that she couldn't quite explain. Memories that had lasted moments in reality that were immortalized in her memory.

The man was handsome. As handsome as she remembered him being and with an air about him that took her normal confidence from her. He looked the same as he had ten years ago. His suit style had changed, currant and polished with not so much as an untucked shirtsleeve out of place. His hair was done and his half smile at her silence was fitting on his sharp face. He walked closer to her until finally he stood right above her with the same smile of knowing quite a lot more than she did crept up his face. The soft smell of leather and clove triggered the memories she had of him to creep into her mind. Yet as he stood there being nothing but himself she could find nothing to say.

"I seem to have startled you." He said to her holding his hand out to her where she sat. She took the offer of his hand as he helped her up as she bowed deeply to him.

"Sir Mikealson" She said trying to keep the joy from her voice opting for one of politeness instead.

"You remember well." He smiled at her. "Luckily for me my business here coincided with your birthday event. Though I must say I was surprised to find you outside and not where the majority of the party seems to be going on."

"Are you?" She asked blatantly. She was not afraid of saying the wrong thing with him as she was with many other people. She could say what she wished and be as short as she wanted it seemed.

He laughed a laugh that brought a smile to her face. She supposed it was a rather odd fondness she had of this man. A man she had only a few times before before.

"No I suppose not. You do seem of few words." He smiled at her.

"What business do you have here?" She asked again with no formality

"Business with your father." He answered "Though as I hear it my business shall soon be with you."

"My father didn't tell me you were coming to town." She said rather darkly ignoring the about to be compliment he would give her.

"Yes your father isn't very forthcoming about me I suppose. A form of protection for you I wager." He nodded at her and a flame of anger shot up in her though she controlled her face. She was rather old to be protected from things. Especially things she didn't want to be protected from.

"As if you were the devil incarnate." She smiled with innocence though it was not an innocent accusation.

"Not the devil himself no…but a demon to be sure." He said. She slipped her shoes on now. She could feel their conversation coming to a close. It was never long before he found some excuse to excuse himself leaving her with a need for his mystery to be unveiled to her. Leaving her with a million questions that would drive her crazy for years to come.

"If you are a demon then I should be sure and stay away." She smiled at him. "Lest my pure heart be darkened." She stepped to him and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Leaving so soon?" He asked curiously.

"Following suit Mr. Mikealson. Just following suit." She said and her wooden shoes clicked all the way to the end of the dock.

 **Read and review I hope you enjoyed it**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own The Originals**

Japan 1913

The business with business is that people get greedy.

How she came to be in this predicament she could tell you. It came from hanging out with the wrong crowd. Even the slight decision to stoop to lower moral standards was a slippery game to play when money was involved. Even though it was Miko's partner who had decided to do such a thing and not her the consequences for both had been the same for each. The crimes of the friend were the crimes of the company. Miko remembered her father saying this to her as a child. Bad company corrupts good morals, and oh how she wished she had cut off Contact with Hiro as soon as she saw him change.

The Tanaka's had gotten it into their thick heads to do business with the wrong kind of people. About three months prior Hiro had changed from a sweet innocent gentleman into some sort of money hungry monster. Changing from someone who valued integrity to someone who thought nothing but himself. He had dragged his father's company through the Mud and Miko had slowly watch it happen of course.

Watching something like that fall apart was like watching your own baby grow or watching yourself get older. You look up one day and realize that it had progressed very minimally over time and now you have something you don't recognize. Miko knew what was happening but one day she neither recognized Hiro nor the business he had taken from his father. By the time she had realized it was going to cause her problems she was neck deep and it was too late.

"You blame me for this." Hiro said from where he sat in the corner.

"Blame will do no good at this point Hiro. I suggest you stop wallowing in self-pity and figure out a solution." She said exasperated.

"You think that this is all my fault and that I deserved this!" He shouted at her. He was panicking of course and Miko had to center herself to keep from lashing out at him. He was frightened and not in control of himself.

"I didn't say that nor do I think you deserve this." She said coolly. "The reality of the situation is that we are where we are because of decisions you made. I'm not pointing fingers at you Hiro I am simply stating facts."

"You sound like we are having a business meeting." He huffed at her and she ran her hand along her face.

They had both been locked in a dim sort of basement. It had no windows and the door was locked securely. The only light was coming from a small lamp that the people that had taken them had left. She chose not to look to the corners of the room for fear of seeing things that would make her anxious. It smelled dusty and damp and she wasn't sure this was fit for humans to be kept. Though she was also rather sure that their kidnappers had not cared for either of their comfort. The large aching spot on the base of her neck that would no doubt bruise was a testament to that.

She had been arguing with Hiro at his house when the men had come and taken them forcefully. She wondered then if she had not chosen that night to confront him about his recent business strategies, would she have been a second stop or were they even after her at all? Was she involved because of him or because of mere chance? Though she wasn't one for speculation so she shook it out of her mind. She needed to face the situation on hand and not worry about what didn't happen.

"I'm so sorry Miko." Hiro said from in the corner. "I didn't mean to get you involved."

"We are business partners Hiro." She said "When you use the company name to do lawless and illegal things I have been put right in the middle as our companies have merged."

"I'm assuming our engagement is off." He said and the lilt to his voice suggested that he was trying to make a joke, though Miko wondered if he was really worried.

"It's not the time to discuss that." She responded neither committing herself to the man who might get her killed shortly nor compromising future business opportunities with him or anyone else.

"I don't think we will get many more chances to talk about anything." He said and the finality of his tone made her shiver.

"Why do you say that?" She asked. Yet silence came from the corner where he sat. She walked back and forth in a line looking over to where he was periodically. "Hiro what kind of people have you gotten mixed up with?"

"They're dangerous." He said "Powerful. They can make anything they want happen."

"I doubt that." She said

"You don't know." He said to her. She could hear his voice shake with fear and her situation became that much worse. He truly believed they wouldn't live and perhaps she would have to consider that in the realm of possibilities.

"My father won't look for me for at least three days." She thought out loud. It wasn't unusual for her to be gone and he would think nothing of it. "No one will think to look for days."

"I'm sorry." Hiro said and she thought he sounded as if he were crying. She turned away from him as people who wept made her uncomfortable. "I'm sorry Miko, I'm so sorry.""

"What will they do to us?" She asked softly trying to prepare herself.

"They aren't human Miko, their rules are different." Was all he said? She thought he was trying to paint a picture with words when he said they weren't human. She though with all of his sniveling that he was exaggerating.

He hadn't been.

The men that came back were not human in the very literal sense. When they opened the door both of them were sitting in silence. Miko sat against a wall with her eyes closed and Hiro was somewhere but didn't bother to care. She must have nodded off in her sitting position because when she heard the commotion she snapped from her half dream state in a daze. She was blinded by the light spilling through the outside entrance into the dark place. She squinted against it and stood up. She went to move toward it but froze suddenly.

Hiro's scream reverberated through the small space and chilled her to her core. It was not a cry of discomfort or of someone being scared. It was a cry of pure agony and the terror that comes along with that feeling. Miko backed away from the light and went back to the wall that she had been leaning on before. She knew the wall was safe and the light was unknown. She started shaking and tried to control herself as her eyes adjusted.

There were four men over on one side of the room. Two of them Held Hiro's body limp and lifeless and one of their mouths were latched onto his neck. Miko took a deep breath as she took stock of the situation. One of Hiro's arms had been completely torn from his body and blood pooled under him. His eye were closed but she couldn't tell if he were dead or unconscious. Either way his body was limp and even if he were barely alive now there was no way he would be in a few minutes.

One of the men looked up to her and stood. There was no way that she could retreat any further into the wall. There was only one way out and no way past them all. She clenched her fists and stepped forward. There was no way out and she wouldn't die looking like a coward no matter how afraid she was. He smiled as she stepped forward trying to keep her eyes off her friend's body. He stepped so close to her that she could smell the iron smell coming off of him. She kept eye contact with him the whole time not flinching when he reached up to touch her cheek.

"And what do we do with you precious?" He asked her.

"Do what you will." She stated. Not a challenge but with no fear in her voice either.

"Brave girl huh? Daddy didn't teach you what strangers can do?" His hand ran down her arms as his voice took on a mock tone of seduction. She fought the urge to vomit.

"Gun!" One of them shouted. The man turned around and sneered at one of the men.

"Do what you will and then let's go. She isn't what we needed and you are wasting time." The other one said and the one called Gun turned back to her with a smile.

"I can't just kill you." He said and she took in his dark hair and his soulless eyes. His clothes were all black and he was thin but his shoulders were broad.

"Do what you will." Miko said again and he laughed loudly.

"What a good pet you will make." He said and her stomach twisted. "My very own brave girl." He ripped his forearm open with his own teeth. And with a strength that wasn't human pushed her mouth against the wound. She fought him but he grabbed her side so hard and with so much force she heard a rib crack. She cried out in pain and his blood pooled into her mouth. He tipped her back and slammed her into the concrete floor. She got very dizzy as her eyes closed and warm blood ran down her throat.

"Good girl. Good girl. Good girl." He repeated as she drifted off into the nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own the originals.**

 **First I must apologize to anyone who still reads this story as I haven't updated in two years. I didn't plan on writing more but I got an itch and I hope it's still enjoyable even after all this time. I am so sorry.**

 **This is of course assuming Klaus did not dagger any of his siblings. I understand the timeline doesn't match up to the two shows.**

Los Angeles 1953

She had been the shy, demure and submissive companion.

For forty years she laid in wait for her perfect opportunity to make her move that would set her free from this hell that she lived in. She supposed that in the grand scheme of eternity forty years was not that long. However it had seemed an endlessness to her as she played smitten wife to the gang boss Gun.

She now had pretty much the entire operation at her fingertips. Who would suspect betrayal from the devoted companion of the boss? A woman no less. No fawning female would have the guts to leave, let alone set a plan in motion to destroy the whole affair.

She had done a good job playing the quivering queen but quivering she was not.

Standing outside the warehouse building on the outskirts of town she couldn't tell if she was shaking from nervousness or excitement. Though she supposed it didn't matter. She could practically taste the freedom that she had been dreaming about for decades. She started to tear up thinking of the life she would start back in Japan. Even if she would have to lay low for the rest of her life she didn't care. It would be a life she could call her own.

Her flawless black eyeliner and perfect ruby lips were set in a hard line to deter questions and curious looks. Her dark hair in victory rolls with heavy bangs framed her face. Her red leather pumps clacked hard on the sidewalk and her red silk sheath dress under her dark mink knee length coat completed her persona of the woman she was pretending to be.

The Duchess they called her. Standing Next to one of the most heartless gang bosses this side of the Atlantic she was a force to be reckoned with. The Duchess was ruthless and cold. Everything a life of crime that would create.

She stopped and looked at her reflection in a puddle. The moon hardly illuminated anything but she caught her own eye in the dark water. She thought of all the terrible things that she had done in the last forty years. The thought of them made her stomach turn. It was all she could do at night to not think of it. All the faces of people who had died at her hand; directly or indirectly. She could see them all begging for their lives. She took a heavy breath and stared at herself.

"Tonight you die Duchess. Tonight you will walk these streets for the last time." She continued to the door she knew was there and knocked. Her black gloves slightly muted the sound but it was still startling against the quiet of the alley.

The door opened to her and a very tall red headed man's face came into view. He was at least two heads taller than she and she raised an eyebrow at him. He looked her up and down in a way that made her very uncomfortable but she stood her ground.

"Are you quite finished?" She quipped. She knew the man as Riley Carmody one of the rowdy Carmody twins.

"Ah Duchess." He said with heavy Irish accent. His complexion was ruddy and his blue eyes and shock of red hair that stood straight up was always startling. He and his brother looked rather similar except Conner Carmody Kept his hair short almost buzzed and looked a lot meaner than Riley.

"You are quite sure you can pull this off?" She asked pushing past him.

"Ah lass, me brother an' I will take care av' you." He assured her putting a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"I hope so Mr. Carmody because I have supplied you with more than enough money and opium for compensation." She said walking over to a wooden coffin like box sitting on a crude work bench in the middle of the room.

"Don't worry." He said easily following behind her.

"I would be easier for me to say that if one mistake by you and your brother didn't mean my certain death." She turned back to him and gave him a dazzling Duchess smile.

"You and your juicy gob will be just gran' Duchess" A voice came from beyond the shadows.

"I better be boys or I'll make you regret it." She promised

"Big words from such a wee person." Riley smiled and her mouth pursed into a hard line.

"Leave 'er alone Riley. Don't test those life walkers." Conner said sternly. Riley nodded in a silent apology. Life walkers was some people's name for the immortal monsters that she belonged to. Duchess smiled at Riley affectionately unable to keep the emotion from her face. She reached up and grabbed his collar and brought his face close to hers. She kissed his cheek.

"Alright boys. Let's get on with my murder shall we?"

 **Short Chapter sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own the originals**

She looked out the train window as the landscape passed. She wouldn't breathe a sigh of relief until she was safe in Japan but the weight of forty years of lies were starting to fade away. Her shoulders didn't feel so heavy and her soul felt unburdened. For the first time in a long time she was alone with no obligation to anything or anyone and she reveled in the silence.

She had a book in hand, an old hobby she had been all but forced to leave while she portrayed the Duchess. A few stolen moments here and there she could catch a breath to read, but there had never been much time. Now on the ten hour train ride to Chicago she almost didn't know what to do with the solitude. Her spirit felt at peace knowing the only person that would interrupt her reading was the conductor as he shouted milestones in their journey.

Gone was her red silk and mink replaced by much plainer clothes. Black high waited tailored pants and a heather gray turtleneck sweater. Plain and unassuming low back heels on her feet and a pillbox hat with a short birdcage veil adorned her head. She felt like herself again in clothes that didn't attract attention. Clothes that didn't yell out for her to be paid attention to. Her hair pulled easily to one side framing a minimal makeup look. No red lipstick just black eyeliner and an almost nude lipstick made her feel comfortable.

She had almost forgotten how to be Miko. The simple woman who wanted nothing more than a quiet life filled with adventures of her choosing. So long she had been the bold and obtrusive woman who ran LA with a horrendous man.

That woman was dead now. The Duchess had been kidnapped by a rival Gang of The Forsaken. She had been killed and burned in her own car on the Shakespeare Bridge in the city. There was only enough of her to be identified though her face and body had been completely disfigured by the fire. There was also enough evidence of foul play by the Street Kings to start a war big enough to cripple both gangs and leave them very busy.

The Carmody brothers had made sure of that. Hired con men to stage a murder. With their help, Miko was free of the life she had hated and everything she had been longing for was at hand.

Yet, Miko was no stranger to life playing cruel jokes on the people of this planet. She had seen it too many times and knew that the dream destroying moments were too comical to be coincidence but she hadn't found anyone to blame. She supposed if there were a sovereign being he would be the culprit.

So when her train came to its stop in Chicago Miko got off. She went to get herself a drink and a spend a bit more money that she had stolen from The Forsaken. It was in the bar that she met the woman who derailed her dream of traveling to New York the next day. It was this woman who delayed her plans to see Japan by many years.

The woman was beautiful by anyone's standards and was dressed to the nines. Blond hair cascaded down both shoulders and her blue eyes caught the light and sparkled mischievously. Her blue swing dress shimmered and moved in just the right way as she made her way over to the bar top at the Green Mill. She sat only one seat away from Miko who looked up at her briefly, nodded and went on sipping her sidecar. The drink was a little heavy on the lemon juice but not enough to ruin the taste. Miko pretended to go back to reading her book but she was very aware of the woman for several reasons.

The first was that women hardly came into this bar by themselves, which singled Miko out as well. The second was because at that moment the Bar was almost dead. There was one other person sitting at a table and the bartender was in the back. Despite the lack of people this woman had decided to sit rather close to Miko who had strategically sat in the far corner. It could have been an accident she decided but the last forty years had taught her to painstakingly analyze everything. Her exciting life had left her slightly paranoid.

They sat in silence for a while until the bartender came out and poured the woman a champagne cocktail. She thanked the man and silently drank for a while. Miko had just gone back to actually reading when the women spoke to her. Miko tried to hold in the sigh of exasperation that wanted to escape.

"How do you do?" She asked Miko moving over one seat so she was right next to her. Miko's hair was raised as she put her book down casually. Was the woman's accent British? Or Australian? She couldn't tell. Her manners were proper; much too proper for the time. Perhaps not if she were British.

"How do you do?" Miko repeated and the woman reached her hand out and Miko shook it.

"Rebekah." The woman responded with her name and Miko's mind raced for a response.

"Lois." She said smiling back.

"That's funny you don't strike me as a Lois." Rebekah said. It was a rather invasive statement.

"My parents immigrated before I was born." Miko explained.

"Well then Lois, what are your plans this afternoon?" Rebekah asked.

Miko was startled by the bluntness and assumptions that this woman was making but she kept any startled expression from her face. She kept as stoic as she could. She decided to tell the truth.

"I will probably make my way back to my room and take a bath and be in for the evening." She said

"That sounds rather boring." Rebekah said

"Perhaps." Miko said going to pick her book up but the girl looked at her expectantly. "What are you doing this evening?" She asked hesitantly not wanting to continue the conversation but not wanting to be rude.

"I plan on going to every party worth going to in this city." Rebekah said looking all too happy that Miko had asked.

"Oh." Miko said and she picked up her sidecar and finished it off. She put down money on the bar top. She had decided she didn't care if she was being rude. "I wish you luck." She grabbed her simple black clutch and went to walk to the door.

"I want you to accompany me." The woman from the bar said. Miko stopped but didn't turn around. The woman must be off her rocker. She wasn't in her right mind, Miko decided.

"I'm afraid I can't, good evening." She said taking another step toward the door.

Faster than Miko could reach for the door the woman was standing in front of her. With speed that wasn't human Miko reeled back and stood in front of her. _Vampire._ Her mind warned her and she took another step back. She looked the woman up and down who was smiling like nothing was odd about the situation. Miko was not surprised. Most vampires she knew were screwy. The woman put her hands on her face and Miko stared at her curiously. She prepared to flee but the woman spoke to her calmly.

"I really must insist that you accompany me my dear. You will not leave my side until I tell you that you can." Rebekah said staring into her eyes.

Miko realized what happened but not how it had. She recognized compulsion when it was happening. She knew that vampires couldn't compel other vampires but even then her will was slipping away as she was compelled to stay with the girl. She stared at the woman and found a touch of sadness behind her happy smile. She knew that she had no choice but to obey her.

"Why?" Was the only question she could come up with.

"I know a vampire when I see one." Rebekah said flatly. "And you were kind enough to shake my hand."

"Is that all?" Miko asked incredulously

"I don't make friends easily." Rebekah said opening the door for her as Miko stepped out. That didi not surprised Miko but she didn't say so.

As against the idea as she was if she had no other choice at least it was an opportunity to gain information. The girl may have been needy, crazy and a little invasive but there was something about her that needed to be figured out. It was something that Miko didn't know and there was hardly anything she liked more than finding out new things.

"How did you…" She started pointing to her eyes as they walked down the street.

"What's your real name?" Rebekah countered. Miko nodded. The information exchange.

"Miko." She said flatly waiting for an answer

"Miko suits you better. Miko, I am much older than you and a very special kind of vampire." Rebekah said.

"Special how?" Miko asked

"You best stick around and see." Rebekah said

"Well seeing as I have no choice…" Miko trailed off as Rebekah laughed like it was the best joke she had heard that century.

 **Read and review!**

 **This chapter was a bit longer**


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own the originals**

Rebekah had not been kidding when she had said every party in the city. Miko had been there by her side the entire time and she hadn't remembered ever being around so many people and she had lived a social life. She kept checking her leather banded watch but the evening remained young for the blond beauty. Miko was tired and as they got in Rebekah's personal car and Rebekah relayed yet another address to her personal chauffer, Miko was about ready to pass out in the seat. Emotionally and physically she wasn't sure she could take much more.

"Don't worry Moonshine." Rebekah said affectionately and Miko resisted the urge to frown at her. Through the night Rebekah had taken to calling her Moonshine as a pet name.

Miko valued her life and she knew the woman was much stronger than she was. Showing signs of irritation or disgust could cost her life. That was not something she could afford to lose so she held her tongue. Though her anger grew with every passing moment because of the hor. She was most likely going to miss her train at this rate.

"Where to now?" She asked keeping her tone cool.

"I'm quite tired." Rebekah said and Miko let out a breath of relief. They didn't say anything while the driver took them to the outskirts of the city and Miko began to get worried.

"Where are we going?" Miko asked

"To my home." Rebekah said casually. Her eyes were closed and she was slumped elegantly against the door.

"Why am I going to your home?" Miko asked her eye almost twitching from frustration.

"I like you Miko and I want to keep you for a few days. You are good company." She said

Miko opened her mouth in unbelief. This woman was acting like a petulant child. She was treating Miko like a doll that could be toted around upon her will. Her mind whirred with ways to avoid this situation but as long as the compulsion was in effect she wouldn't be able to leave.

"I suppose it wouldn't make a difference if I told you I had a train to New York to catch later on today." Miko said with little hope.

"New York will also ways be there Moonshine." Rebekah said sleepily "But the chance to hang out with Rebekah Mikealson…that opportunity does not come around often."

"What a pleasure." Miko said under her breath and Rebekah snorted. She had had quite a lot to drink and despite her vampiric tolerance had managed to get loaded.

They pulled up to quite a large and ostentatious house. The driveway was much too long and the face of the house demanded that it be recognized for it's grandeur. The lawn was pristinely kept and there didn't seem to be a single thing out of place.

"You have a beautiful house." Miko said

"Yes Niklaus insists on the eccentric." Rebecca opened the car door before the car had come to a halt and almost fell out. Miko did nothing to stop her.

"Husband?" She asked getting out of the other side. Rebekah finally got to her feet and looked at her disgusted and shook her head.

"Brother." She said "I have four."

A house full of men made this situation so much worse and Miko shook her head waiting for Rebekah at the front door which took a bit of time. The door was large and made of dark wood with giant lions carved into their faces. When Rebekah finally got to the door she opened it which took a lot of effort on her part.

"By all means don't attempt to assist me." She sneered at Miko who said nothing.

Miko took in what she could of the entryway by light of the large stone fireplace in the center of the front room. Two wooden staircases led up and around to join into one. The light fixtures were elegant and the polished wooden floors were beautiful. There was no denying that the house was a work of art. The fire emitted a warm romantic light across the room and made everything look homier than Miko imagined it was.

"My things are at the Blackstone." Miko said at Rebekah who was heading upstairs. She had taken a cab up the waterfront to get to the green mill from her hotel. Oh how she now regretted that decision.

"I'll have Arthur get them for you." She said

"I don't have anything to sleep in. "Miko said mostly trying to stall

"Arthur will bring something to the guest room for you."

"Alright." Miko said and as soon as Rebekah got fifty feet from her she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She stepped closer to the girl who turned around slowly.

"I suppose I should fix that." Rebekah said and stepped down a few stairs to meet her. She tipped her chin up to look into her eyes and Miko didn't fight her. "You will remain in this house until I tell you that you can leave." She paused "Arthur will be down to show you to your room."

Miko said nothing only nodded. What was there to say? She wasn't thankful but the girl had to know that. So she stayed silent. There would probably be no way that she could sleep in the house but she would find something to do. Maybe look around see if there was anything she could find out about the woman. Something to use to her advantage to get out of this strange kidnapping.

About ten minutes after Rebecca disappeared a man descended the stairs. He was dressed rather formally and looked friendly enough. He had dark brown hair that was weaved with grey and a few lines on his face that Miko couldn't identify as frowning or smiling wrinkles. His face looked like it couldn't decide what emotion to feel.

"Mam." He greeted her and nodded "I am to show you to your room."

"Thank you Arthur." She said. There was no need to be rude to this man who had done her no wrong. She followed him up the stairs and down the left hallway down what must have been at least five doors. He opened a door at the end of the hall for her and she walked past him.

The room's colors were grey and crème and the room was painted a dark slate grey color with a large window that looked out over the front grounds. The bed had elaborate head and foot boards and looked like it might be very comfortable with down comforters and pillows galore. It was a very sober room and Miko rather liked it. A French loveseat was positioned by the window with a luxurious throw that looked like the perfect place to read a book.

"Your nightdress is hanging in the hutch Mam." Arthur said "there is a study and a library downstairs. The cook is out for the day but the kitchen is at your disposal. The rooms upstairs belong to the house owners and they would prefer not to be disturbed. Miko nodded in understanding and the man left the room.

Miko sat on the bed for a while debating what to do. She finally got up and went to the clothing hutch. She opened it to find a peach satin nightdress hanging up along with a matching floor length house coat. She felt them and debated again before shrugging and getting changed. She had encountered many stranger situations than this and if that woman thought that she would shy away from something uncomfortable she would be surprised.

When she had folded her clothes and changed she decided that the study and library sounded like they were worth checking out. She made her way down the dark hallway. The sun would be up in a couple hours or so and the night outside was peaceful and silent. Some of the stairs creaked as she descended. She tried to be as light as she could though she was unsure why she was trying to be courteous.

She passed the fire in the entryway which was still burning strong. To the left was a dining room and she would expect that the kitchen would be attached to that. So she chose to go the opposite way. She was not disappointed to find a room with a heavy wood desk with an assortment of paper and pens as well as maps. Something you would expect to find in a Hollywood movie. The truly breathtaking thing was the walls of books that were behind glass doored cabinets. Wooden cabinets painted black lined every wall of the room and were filled to the brim with books of all kinds. Miko instantly went to work examining them all and found them all arranged by content and authors name. She was rather impressed.

After what must have been thirty minutes of looking around she found a collection of poems by Emily Dickenson. She held it to her chest as she made her way to a leather scalloped back chair in the corner of the room. She flipped through the pages and enjoyed the smell of the book first before she started to read the beautiful words of a great poet. As she read through several pages she realized she was much more tired than she had thought. She felt herself begin to doze as she set the book down in her lap and rested her head against the side of the chair.

She awoke to the sound of what was a cabinet being closed. She was startled and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She stood up suddenly and wrapped the robe around herself. The book she had been reading fell to the floor and the sound may has well have been as loud as a thunder clap. She winced and reached to pick it up. She stood up tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and stared up to see a man peering intently at a bookshelf his back to her.

"I didn't mean to startle you." He said. His voice was familiar to her and she stared at the back of him.

"It's my fault." She said smoothing her hair. She walked to where she had pulled the Dickenson book from and put it back in its place.

"I assume you are Rebekah's new interest?" He asked now taking another book.

"I suppose that's one word for it." She said closing the cabinet door.

"I am sorry." He sounded genuine and he turned to look at her.

The man was handsome and put together. In a perfectly tailored suit without a hair out of place he stared at her. His voice was like the sound of a steady wind and she couldn't believe that she hadn't recognized him right away.

After all these years there he was.

"Mr. Mikealson …" She all but whispered.

He looked startled and then he looked concerned.

"Miss Hashira "He responded

They stared at each other for a minute. Trying to figure out why the other one was there. Was he one of Rebekah's brothers? She figured he had been some sort of something after all he never aged…but a vampire. She supposed it made sense.

"I…" She trailed off "I'm going to go." She said and made her way toward the door.

"Miko" He called after her and she almost stopped but she found it in her to take another step. She finally made it to her room. She threw off her robe and crawled under the blankets. She fell asleep convincing herself that it was a dream.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not Own The Originals**

When Miko woke up her luggage was at the foot of her bed. It disturbed her a little seeing as how she had not woken up at any intrusion and she was usually a very light sleeper. No doubt it was the mysterious doorman, Arthur. She sat under the covers for a long while contemplating what she would do and marveling at her situation. She was afraid the events of earlier that morning were not the vivid dream she hoped them to be. However the chance that she would run into Elijah Mikealson while being held captive by another vampire was so minimal that she didn't believe it.

Of course she had thought about Elijah in the last forty years. As a child she had had a childlike crush on him and in her adult years she had regarded him with a sort of admiration. She thought of him from time to time as one thinks of a very heartwarming memory. She supposed she had considered the fact that he was a vampire but she hoped him to be something else. A supernatural something or other that granted him a longer life as he had never seemed to age.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She pulled the covers up around her and smoothed her hair before taking a breath.

"Come in." She called out and the door opened to reveal none other than Arthur.

"Madam, I can bring your meal into your room if you like otherwise it will be ready downstairs in 20 minutes." He said formally.

"Does Rebekah eat in her room?" She asked curiously.

"Misses usually sleeps until late into the afternoon so she doesn't come downstairs for breakfast." He nodded

"I don't need it brought up, I'll be down promptly." She said and he turned to leave. "Arthur…" She called after him.

"Yes Mam."

"Is there a man here named Elijah Mikealson?" She asked. He regarded her skeptically as if he wasn't sure if he should answer the question.

"Yes mam." He finally answered after a long silence.

"Is he a guest?" She asked sorting through facts and theories in her mind.

"No, Sir Elijah is an owner of the house. Miss Rebekah's brother." He said and then he left abruptly. Miko wasn't sure if it was because he felt like he overshared. It didn't matter; Miko would not repeat the information he had given.

So, Elijah had a crazy sister who was also a vampire. Miko wasn't in the habit of dwelling in anxiety but she was sure that this situation would get worse before it was resolved.

She put on a blue-grey dress with a synched waist and an A-line skirt with a winged collar and white buttons. She put her hair up easily and put on sheer stockings and clipped them to her garter belt. She slipped into her favorite plain black flats and looked at herself in the mirror. She touched up and powdered her face and dabbed lemon oil on her wrists and behind her ears.

"You can do this." She assured her reflection. She walked out not feeling confident but not willing to betray that on her face.

She made her way down the grand staircases and into the dining room that she had seen earlier. There was a man sitting there that she had not seen. She looked at the table wondering where she would sit and not wanting to disrupt any routines that were in place.

"You may sit at any seat you wish. " Arthur's voice came from behind her and she jumped a little.

She saw a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth like he was pleased that he had scared her. She walked over to a chair that was two down from the man who was reading a paper. He didn't have any food in front of him but a glass of what looked like brown liquor was perched next to him. When Arthur pulled her chair out for her the man set the paper down.

He was handsome to be sure and she wondered if everyone in the house were all equally attractive. He looked her up and down without saying a word. She couldn't tell if he were sizing her up or working on how to begin the conversation. Either way she didn't like the look in his eyes. He was ravenous for something and he looked dangerous.

"Well hello." He finally said and she nodded politely while waiting for what she assumed would be food soon.

"Did you have a good time with Rebekah?" He asked grinning like her behavior was expected.

It unnerved Miko the way that he looked at her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but the intensity of his gaze was shocking and unwelcome. Her soul squirmed inside her and she wanted to go back up to her room. She wanted to tell Arthur she wanted to take her meal in her room after all. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction though. She was nothing if not determined.

Instead of answering she took pitcher that was in the middle of the table and grabbed the crystal glass in front of her. The liquid that came out was red and thick and as it flooded the glass. Miko let out a slightly disgusted sound. She put the pitcher down and stared at the glass of blood in her hand. It was warm and she forgot for a second that the man was staring at her. She brought the glass to her mouth and smelled it. It smelled fantastic and she stuck her tongue in the glass very unladylike. She let the taste permeate her mouth before nodding and taking a drink.

"A vampire girl." The man said impressed. "Maybe Rebekah would share."

Miko drank and tried not to react to what he was saying.

"She might rather enjoy that Nik." A voice said from the entryway. Another man; younger than the first. No less attractive and her earlier theory was confirmed.

"I can assure you I would not." Miko said gritting her teeth together from the discomfort of it all.

"She can speak after all." The man who the other had called Nik said.

"Niklaus, only fools speak constantly." He voice came into the room and she froze for a moment. She knew she might ruin into him again but somehow she had not been prepared.

"You two will leave this young lady alone and let her eat in peace." Elijah said taking the paper from the man at the heads of the table.

"We are just having a bit of fun." The younger said walking over and putting his hands on Miko's shoulders. The only good thing about this situation was that from where she was she could silently admire Elijah. She watched him let out a sigh as he looked at the other two men.

"I am Elijah." he said looking at her and she covered her surprise with a nod. She reached her hand over the table and shook his hand. She was sure if he was pretending not to know who she was that he had a good reason.

"These are my brothers Niklaus and Kol." He said pointing to each in turn.

"You are Rebekah's brothers?" She asked him directly ignoring the other two including the one who was still touching her. He started to rub her shoulders and she wanted to punch him in his feminine little face.

"We are." Elijah nodded and then looked up at Kol "Kol leave the woman alone."

"What concern is it of yours?" Kol asked in a challenging way. Miko couldn't see Kol's face but she could feel the tension as the two brothers had an unspoken conversation. Elijah stayed calm and collected and his dark brown eyes dared Kol to test him.

"You've never taken an interest in Rebekah's trinkets before, brother" Klaus said from the end of the table. He eyed Miko again and she held very still trying to look as if she had no interest in the matter.

"Rebekah's need to be constantly entertained is vexing." Elijah said dismissively. "No doubt this woman had plans that did not include spending time with us."

"I am actually missing a train." She pointed out

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience." Elijah said to her looking as if he were sorry.

"Whatever our baby sister wants she should get." Niklaus said to Elijah and there was a challenge in his eyes as well but unlike Kol he didn't look as if he would back down to Elijah. Miko was marveling at the family dynamic of it all. For brother's there was a lot of strain.

"Whatever makes her pretty little self, happy." Kol added and Elijah went to say something but Miko interrupted.

"Arthur" She called a little louder than necessary. Faster than she thought possible the man appeared from the entryway.

"Yes mam."

"On second thought I will take my meal in my room." She said standing up and brushing off Kol's hands in irritation.

"I can't imagine why you would want to do that." He said and it was Miko's turn to smile.

"Oh don't be spiteful Arthur." Kol said as Miko walked out of the room and nodded her appreciation to Arthur who winked at her in return.

When Miko reached her room there was a book leaned up against her door frame. She reached down and found it was Emily Dickinson's poem book she had been reading. There was a piece of paper stuck in the front. She pulled it out and read the note scrawled on it in elegant handwriting.

For You.

-EM


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own the originals**

Miko was startled by the knock at the door. It was late in the evening and she had thought that everyone had been sleeping. She was in her own night clothes which was a shirt and pant set. The dull grey diamond pattern printed on it was much more her style than the nightgown she had worn the night before. She had one of her windows open as she had been about to smoke. The smell of freshly cut grass, imminent rain and the night sky soothed her nerves. A cigarette would have also added to the feeling but she was interrupted. She heaved a sigh and set the gold and green Lucky Strike box down on the window sill.

She hoped beyond hoped that it wasn't Rebekah deciding that this was the perfect time to go out again. She hadn't come out of her room all day leaving Miko to her own devices. It hadn't been unpleasant. Miko had taken her oil paints out and Arthur had found her paper to work with; it wasn't canvas but it was something. She had read her heart out and enjoyed the scenery outside. Some might see the room as a prison but she saw it as a respite. The three meals that she had received were simple and fantastic. Nothing as rich or glamorous as she would have eaten in LA for dinner but it was still good.

She cracked the door open and her stomach flipped. She left the door open as he walked in and closed it behind him. She walked to the open window and continued to take a cigarette out and light it. She pulled the smoke into her mouth and lungs and let is sit for a half second before blowing it out the window. She offered the box to him but he shook his head and she set it down again. She didn't look at him and instead opted to look out at the grounds of the house.

"How are you?" He asked finally after a pregnant silence. Again she didn't look at him and instead pulled from her cigarette. She turned to study his face in a way that she hadn't been able to do that morning. He didn't look upset by her calculating gaze but stood still like a good subject.

"I was sorry to hear about your father's death." He said to the silence of the room. She huffed a single laugh that was more mocking than anything.

"You're about 25 years late with your condolences." She said looking back out the window.

"Had I known you weren't dead I would have offered them sooner." He stated kindly

"I know you would have. Mr. Mikealson" She said letting out pent up anger in a breath. She had no idea why she had been upset with him. He had done nothing wrong and yet she found herself irritated.

"You can call me Elijah." He said and she stared at him from where he stood by the door.

"What do I owe the pleasure of your company?" She asked

"I came to see what the manner of your visit is." He said now staring at her like she was being studied. She rolled the words around in her brain for a minute trying to decode them.

"How do you mean?" She asked

"Why you have come here?" he asked again as his voice got sterner. She was taken aback for a second before she realized what he meant.

"You think I've come on purpose?" She asked

"I'm not a man to believe in a coincidence."

She stared and could understand his hesitation to believe her. She hardly believed that this was a coincidence but the circumstances of her abduction were exactly that. She tried to find the words to explain to him that it had been an accident. That she hadn't known he even had a family. That she hadn't seen him in forty years and had no intention of seeing him again. She couldn't think of a way to convince him that she had no agenda. After all, it wasn't her job to make him believe anything. He could think what he wanted.

"Believe what you choose." She shrugged "I want nothing from you or your family except to be rid of your sister and be on my way."

He stared at her still without saying anything. In a way that made her warm and happy and irritated at the same time. She was used to staring at people in unnerving ways and she didn't like the same practice preformed on her.

"I don't want anything from you Elijah." She assured him

"I'm afraid we cannot let you leave until your motives have been established." He stated.

"We?"

"I have disclosed to my family how I know you and my brothers agree that we cannot release you." He stated calmly. "Rebekah will be made aware in the morning and no doubt she will agree."

Miko was appalled. She wouldn't be allowed to leave? Her mind spun with the thought of being kept prisoner even a month more and it almost brought her to tears. She refused to look weak in front of him however, and blinked the water away.

"I have been trapped in a life I didn't choose for forty years Elijah. The thought that you would choose to imprison me for longer with no evidence to my guilt, other than you r disbelief in the impossible, is surprising. I always knew you to be a logical and kind man."

"Perhaps." He nodded "You have walked into my home with the only people in the world I would protect with my life here. I must treat your entrance with as much caution as I dare. Our past is the only reason I have convinced my brothers we shouldn't kill you."

"How generous."

"And you must believe me when I say that if you harbor any thoughts of ill will or even to benefit from using anyone in this household I will put a person end to you despite our history."

"I suppose I cannot be upset with you for protecting your family." She said coolly. Her cigarette had died long before that moment and she set it in her green glass ashtray. She crossed the room to him so that she could stare him in his eyes. She got very close to him and looked up into his eyes that were the color of dark leather.

"It' is nice to see you again Miko." He said "I visit your memorial and your father's whenever I have business in Japan."

"I was in love with you as a child." She stated bluntly and he almost smiled.

"Your candor is ever the same I see."

"I thought you mysterious and kind, charming and handsome." She said smiling

"And now?" He asked

"Still Charming and handsome. Less mysterious and if you think that sparing my life is kind then I must have judged you wrong." She said and his quirked mouth showing that he thought her outburst was funny.

"I see."

"Thank you for visiting." She said closing the conversation. He took the cue and turned to reach for the handle "And Elijah…"

"Yes." He answered stopping and turning to her.

"I will not be held here forever. I spent too long being held captive in a life that wasn't mine and I would rather die than go through that again. So make your investigation into my motives quick." She said

Elijah looked into her eyes for minute without answering. His dark eyes looked as if he were about to say something before he nodded and left the room.

"It's nice to see you too." She said to absolutely no one before lighting another cigarette.


	9. Chapter 9

**I do Not own the Originals**

"What exactly do you mean?" She asked Arthur who was looking at her as if he were rather sad to give her the news.

"Niklaus, Rebekah, and Kol have requested that you take dinner with them." He reported slower as if she were and idiot.

"Thank you Arthur." She said exasperated.

All day she had chosen to stay in the room away from the family of vampires downstairs. All morning and afternoon no one had bothered her. She had read, ate and painted all in her room and it had been glorious. She wasn't under the illusion it would last forever but she had hoped that it would have lasted longer.

She slipped on shoes and followed the man out of the room and down stairs. She had requested dinner be brought to her room but in a turn of events she would be joining the blood sucking circle after all. She rounded the corner to the dining room and realized that Arthur was no longer with her. Three faces looked up at her expectantly. Elijah was no among them and she didn't know whether to be thankful or disappointed.

"Good Morning love." Klaus said smiling something that was frightening to look at. She nodded at him and took her seat next to Rebekah who was drinking something steaming out of a mug. Since Miko had had the chance to fill up on fresh blood the day before she opted for coffee with dab of honey. The heavy white mug felt good in her hands as she tried to ignore her company.

Kol cleared his throat but Miko still didn't grace them with eye contact. She wasn't going to be cooperative with her captors. She had done that for too long.

"Rebekah get on with it." Kol said and Rebekah sighed. At this Miko did turn her head to look at Rebekah. The girl stared into her eyes and Miko quickly looked away. She had no desire to be compelled to do anything else.

"Miko, my friend." Rebekah said rather sweetly. Miko rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. When she set the cup down she glanced over at Rebekah who had now gone silent.

"What?" She asked the girl who was looking at her and smiling.

"I'm trying to help you." She said grabbing her chin and looking her in the eyes. She said nothing but her eyes dilated and then went back to normal.

"There." She said in a bouncy tone "Now you aren't trapped in the house and you won't be tethered to my side.

"Why?" Miko asked a little more than hesitantly

"You are free to come and go as you please as long as you know that you aren't to leave." Klaus said pointedly and she bit her tongue.

"What do I owe the pleasure of breakfast?" She asked addressing her question to Rebekah because she seemed to be the least infuriating to converse with.

"Preliminary questions." She said drinking from her glass deeply.

"Elijah made us swear not to hurt you." Kol smiled at her. "Not too bad at least."

Miko felt like she was surrounded by a pack of wolves that hadn't eaten for days. For someone that was used to being the predator she didn't like being the prey. They eyes scraped over her every moment looking for something that she wasn't sure was there. She ate a beautifully baked breakfast pastry in silence and finished her coffee trying to ignore the discomfort of it all. When she had finished her cup she put it down and looked up at them all silently watching her. She wondered if their goal was to make her squirm.

"I will answer any questions you have with as much honesty as I am capable." She wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin and put it back in her lap.

"How do you know Elijah?" Kol asked the first to tear into the task at hand with less tact than she expected from Elijah's family.

"My Father did business with him when I was a child. When I began to work for my father I dealt with him occasionally." She decided to keep her answers simple and honest.

"Did you enjoy your interactions with him?" Rebekah asked and Miko raised an eyebrow at the question. Rebekah was quiet and waited for an answer.

"He was never unpleasant." Miko said one eyebrow still raised.

"That doesn't exactly answer the question.' Rebekah said

"I suppose I didn't mind seeing him when I had to." She paused grasping for an answer that would satisfy them "He never treated me as if I were a woman in a man's world." It seemed a good enough reason without going into how she would look forward to their meetings weeks before they happened.

"Yes ever the feminist, our dear brother Elijah." Klaus said and he leaned into the table.

"How old are you?" Kol asked volleying another question.

"Sixty-one." She stated smiling at him now. He deemed to be the youngest of them all and his behavior and the way he spoke was like a child.

"When were you born?" He asked again impatient for answers.

"The year?" She asked wanting to tease him now but pushing the urge aside. He nodded. "Eighteen ninety two I was Born in Kyoto."

The other two seemed less interested in this information than Kol did. Right now she was only looking at him and he truly looked like he were trying to pinpoint something. Miko sat back in her chair relaxed but poised. They wouldn't find anyhting and she wasn't sure when they found that nothing if they would let her live or not. Would Elijah be true to his word? In hear heart she hoped he would but she really didn't know him well.

"When was the last time you saw Elijah?" Rebekah asked. Miko rubbed her forhead with her index finger and thumb. She was replaying the memory in her head.

"It must have been a month or so before I turned." She said squinting tryig to remember the exact date.

"What Happened."

"He politley told me he would be moving his buisness." Miko recalled nodding. Rebekekah grabbed her face.

"Any time on of the Mikealson's ask you a question you will give us the entire truth." The girl compelled her.

"Must you do that?" Miko ripped her chin out of the girls hand. "I will cooperate without your mind games."

"Now we will know for sure." The girl said satisfied. "Now tell us the story of when you last saw Elijah."

"He came four days early." Miko recalled feeling pulled to the complete truth with annoyance.

 _Japan 1914_

"Sora, will you have my father go over these resumes when he gets in." Miko asked coming out of hre office and wrapping a scarf around her neck.

"Yes Madam." Sora said taking the files from Miko's hands. "Are you going out for lunch?"

"Yes, to the apartment ill be back in an hour or so." Miko said heading for the door. The woman looked at her and opened her mouth to say something.

"Yes of course, Sora, how rude of me." She said nodding without looking at her. "Can I get you something while I'm out?"

Miko was trying to be polite while also thinking of a thousand things she had to do before the end of the day. There were people to be interviewed, deals to be finalized and there wasn't going to be enough day for her to do anything. She had to step out for some air before she started panicking.

"Um…" Sora said and Miko nodded impatiently. She looked back at the woman who looked like she just ate a frog.

"Yes?" Miko asked "What is it Sora."

"There is a meeting in the conference room." She said hesitantly. Miko stopped and scrolled through her calendar in her mind. She hadn't set up a meeting for this time. She looked back at the conference room door which was open.

"Oh." Miko said trying to wrap her head around the change in the schedule.

"He said you wouldn't mind if he didn't have an appointment." The woman said she looked just as confused as Miko. She took her scarf off and handed it to Sora. "He apologized for any inconvenience it may have cause you."

"I suppose I shouldn't keep him waiting." She said walking toward the conference room door.

"I'm sorry Miss Hashira." Sora said but Miko waved at her dissmisivley.

Miko walked to the conference room door and peered in to see a man sitting at the table. She smiled at let out a breath leaning against the doorframe and smiling as he looked up. His dark eyes met hers and she tried to contain her happiness at seeing him.

"You're early." She said "You're very early and you have just interrupted my lunch."

"I am truly sorry Miss Hashira." He paused "Very soon to be Misses Tanaka I hear."

"That's old new I'm afraid." She said smiling at him. "Walk with me?"

Miko had never had a hard time talking to Elijah Mikealson. He was one of the few people that she felt completely at ease around. He stood up from one of the chairs that was situated around the long rectangular table and nodded at her.

The walked out of the office building together. They walked down the side of the street together. It was silent between them for awhile and he was the first to break the silence.

"I'm afraid that my news isn't pleasant." He said finally. She smiled again at his hesitation.

"Yes, I'll miss seeing you." She said smiling up at him.

He stopped and turned to her. He looked surprised then as he stared at her and she looked up at him trying to squash her smile that° was creeping up over her face. He half smiled in sort of a sad way down at her. She didn't know that she had had an intimate moment like that with anyone. they were reading each other's eyes.

"You knew?" He asked but the only thing she could detect on his face was humor.

"Your business with my father has been decreasing over the Years Mr. Mikealson." She smiled and kept walking. "I figured it was only a matter of time before you would move business altogether."

"It isn't something either of you have done." He tried to explain.

"I know that too." She turned and smiled at him. He hadn't moved.

"You've never asked any questions about me." He said stepping closer to her "About who I am. Even your Father has inquired to some extent."

"If I ask will I like the answer?" She asked as he stepped closer and closer until he was standing over her.

"Under different circumstances I might ask you to have dinner with me." He said and with an affection she hadn't felt before he lifted her face up with his thumb under her chin.

"Under different circumstances I might accept." She said, and her pulse quickened as he leaned down. He placed a light kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"Goodbye Miko. You are a charming woman." He said stepping back

"Goodbye Elijah."

"That's it?" Rebekah said sounding as if she was disappointed by the ending.

"That was the last time I saw him." She said slightly embarrassed that she had divulged so much information.

"I have to say it lacks drama." Klaus said

"I'm sorry to have disappointed you." She chuckled and got up from her chair.

"I was expecting something better." Kol said still pouting

"Can I go?" She asked shaking her head and smiling to herself.

"For now." Klaus said waving her off.

So Miko walked back up to her room and contemplated where she wanted to go now that she was no longer trapped in the confines of the house.

 **Hope you like! Read and Review**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own the originals**

She was currently window shopping mid-day in the city.

She could go out into the city but she always had to return to the house at night. It was a long leash she had been given but a leash none the less. They had asked her a few more questions and they had all had a couple more sit down breakfasts and dinners. Elijah and Klaus were absent often. When Elijah was there he mostly kept silent and would only smile when it seemed as if Miko was getting irritated. Which irritated her more. She had been with the Mikealsons for almost two weeks now.

Some days they left her alone. She thought this was more due to their own schedule than anything. They found time for her when it was convenient for them. It was getting old and Miko was anxious to continue her journey to Japan. So far the siblings hadn't found anything that had interested them. Either that or they were very good at hiding it.

She sighed staring in a department store window and decided to go back to the house. She had never been much of a shopper. She had exhausted the Italian café she went to daily and had read the entirety of The Screwtape Letters, twice. There was nothing else to do except for wait for it to get dark and eat. The allure to drink her sorrows away was becoming more and more appealing.

She headed back to her own personal car that had been assigned to her and got in the backseat. She didn't say anything but the driver started driving anyway. Her silence indicated that she wanted to go back to the house. Her driver liked to talk even less than she did which suited her just fine. She hadn't even learned his name yet and yet they had an unspoken language that worked perfectly. She stared at her reflection in the mirror on the way home wondering when she would get to go home.

She had resigned to the fact that the Mikealson's might kill her at the end of this journey. She had come to terms with the possibility and tried to prepare herself as much as one could prepare for the end. They had all been friendly to her and yet there was a distinct coldness to their demeanors. All of them seemed wary of her including Elijah.

Oh Elijah. There was something about that man that drove Miko crazy. She felt more comfortable with him and therefore didn't act like her distant self. Despite reminding herself that he was one of her captors she found she was exchanging smirks and slight chuckles with him. When she would look up and catch him glancing over at her, a fire lit up her face with embarrassment, or was it something else? She wasn't sure. She just knew that he unnerved and disarmed her in a way that few could. She felt like there hadn't been decades of silence between them like they were still friendly business partners. Not that she was ignorant to the fact that he could very well be the one in the family to kill her. He certainly could.

They pulled up to the house and she thanked the driver who remained silent. He pulled out of the driveway and took the car to wherever they were housed. She started to walk up to the door before realizing she really didn't want to go inside just yet. She wasn't ready for any kind of social onslaught and there would be one.

Miko walked around to the back of the house where she had seen a separate house sitting on the edge property. It was faced away from the main house and tucked behind some trees. Sizably smaller than the main house it would have been usually used to house guests or in-laws. It had piqued her interest and she thought it would be the perfect distraction for the boring afternoon.

She wandered about for a couple minutes enjoying the small but perfectly kept garden in the front of the small house before walking up the brick walkway to the door. It was rather quaint and something she rather liked against the ostentatiousness of the large house. There were two pots sitting on the porch with beautiful plants that looked to be well taken care of. She started to wonder if someone lived in the house and if she shouldn't be looking around. She knocked and waited and then repeated the process but there was no answer. She half expected it to be locked and was surprised when the handle gave way and opened freely when she tried it.

She walked into the entryway and her fears melted away. There was not a single piece of furniture to be seen. The house was immaculate and polished but not a single chair or piece of art decorated its light yellow walls. Every sound she made was amplified in the empty space.

She walked through a small front room into an empty kitchen. The cupboards were completely empty but there wasn't a speck of dust in sight. The house was kept up, but why keep it up if no one lived here? So far as to water the plants and tend the garden. She walked through the kitchen and past an empty and dark bathroom. The bedroom door was closed and as she twisted the handle a shudder ran through her and her hair stood on end. She glanced behind her suddenly aware of another presence but there wasn't anyone there.

The door opened and as she walked through she stopped. Her heart rate quickened and a sense of fear ran down her spine and settled in her lower stomach. In the middle of the room there was an open coffin on a base. She was unsure why the sight of it caused her fear and anxiety but it had. After a moment her anxiety gave out over her fear and she stepped closer to the beautifully ornate coffin and peered in. There was a man dressed in a white nightshirt and tailored pants. He was beautiful; with sharp features and long brown and gold hair swept behind his ears. He didn't look like any dead person she had seen.

Usually when people died they lacked a vitality or a life in their skin. This man didn't seem to be dead. His skin had a bluish hue likes someone with hypothermia. His veins were more pronounced than they should have been but he didn't look dead for reason's Miko couldn't explain. She looked at a beautiful silver dagger that was pushed into the heart of his chest and thought it would be hard for him to not be dead after that.

She started surveying the whole room to better gauge the situation. She saw three other coffins leaned up against the walls and wondered if she might find more victims of the like in them. However this was the only one that was out on display. The sun streamed in through a window and hit the man's forehead. She reached out and brushed her hand across his pale cheek.

"Oh my god." She said stepping back. The man was cold but not rigor mortis cold.

"Miko." A voice came from the bedroom door. She sucked in a quick breath and turned around to find Elijah watching her.

"Elijah." She said letting the breath out as her heart continued to race.

"You've taken liberty with your new freedom." He said stepping in the room. She stepped back, afraid she had done something offensive.

"If you didn't want me in here you could have compelled me." She argued and he nodded.

"I'm sure Finn likes the company. " He said walking to the coffin. She watched him as he smiled in at the man with something akin to compassion and love perhaps. "Also, the house is cursed to be hidden to any who would cause him or our family harm."

"Finn." She said repeating his name and looking in on him again. He looked rather peaceful like he was taking a nap.

"Yes, he's our brother." Elijah said to her.

"Is there something wrong with him?" She asked trying to decode this web of secrets and strange behavior.

"The same thing that is wrong with the rest of us." He said still staring at the man tenderly.

"What is wrong with the rest of you?" She asked "Other than the obvious hostage situation." He smiled at that but didn't look up at her.

"Our family is what's wrong with us." He paused "And the only thing that's right."

He said it in such a sad and honest way that she couldn't do anything except for nod. She couldn't understand what he meant of course and she didn't think she would ever be able to.

"Why is your brother in a casket?" She asked

"Niklaus" was all he said.

"Yes he seems the most unstable." She said and he let out a long sigh like she really didn't know the half of it.

"The most unstable but the most fun out of the lot." Another voice came from the hallway. It was the voice of the devil himself. When he walked into the room he wore his wicked grin that always carried an air of evil intent.

"Nice of you to join us, Brother." Elijah said "Miko stumbled upon some of your handiwork."

"Curios little one." Klaus said getting closer and closer to Miko whose heart had started to race once more.

"She is that." Elijah said walking to leave the room. Klaus got uncomfortably close to Miko and pressed himself against her and looked into her eyes.

"Tell me Brother, why you seem to open up to this little vampire." Klaus' eyes pierced her and she stared mesmerized by them. There was power and fear control and sadness in the depths of his soul.

"Perhaps I tire of my family's company." Elijah said at the door

"Yes but why this one." Klaus said bringing his hand up and brushing his knuckles across Miko's cheek "What makes her special."

"She isn't" Elijah said and Miko controlled her facial expressions despite being slightly offended.

"Oh brother." Klaus said and suddenly his face changed into what Miko thought was actual humor. "Rebekah and I think you should take her to New York with you tomorrow"

"Having family meetings without me?" Elijah asked

"Oh dear Elijah don't be upset. It seems to us that cute little Miko…" As he said this he place a light kiss on her forehead. She stood very still but gave him a rather unpleasant look which made him chuckle "She may divulge more information to you about her visit than to us."

"I don't know what game you are playing Niklaus but I am not in the mood." Elijah said darkly

"No games brother, we would just hate to inconvenience our guest longer than necessary." Miko could tell he was lying but not he was lying about. He started at her and she was not afraid to stare back trying to figure out what game he was in fact playing.

"And your bed won't be so cold." Klaus said and Miko opened her mouth to protect but before she could he was gone. They stood there in silence and Elijah just stared at her unmoving which made her uncomfortable. She turned to the coffin once more and bowed to the man inside.

"It was a pleasure Finn." She said not knowing if the man could hear her or not. Perhaps another visit some time. You seem the best company of all your siblings."

She walked out of the room leaving Elijah in the doorway.


End file.
